The present invention relates to a releasable tube assembly which is primarily used in medical instruments to prevent accidental disconnection and leakage.
Conventional connection methods for an administration set of infusion therapy, nasogastric or nasoduodenal tubes, blood tubing set of hemodialysis, delivery tubing set of peritoneal dialysis, breathing circuit of ventilator, urinary catheters et al. can be classified as follows:
a. Direct hub-to-hub connection: as shown in FIG. 5, a slip tip of a catheter is provided with outer protrusions and is directly inserted into the hub of the other catheter. To remove the tip from the hub, a user just slightly rotates the tip and pulls the tip away from the hub. The connection may cause leaks after long use. Also, unintended disconnection may occur by the movement of the patients.
b. Luer lock connection: an end of a catheter has a threaded lip for screwing into the hub of the other catheter. This requires time to secure the lip to the hub and blood may leak from the catheters.
c. Slip Luer connection: this connection combines the direct hub-to-hub connection and Luer lock connection. A user first makes the direct hub-to-hub connection and then screws the threaded lip into the hub of the other catheter. Similarly, it takes a little time to secure the lip to the hub. Further, it may be disconnected by incomplete connector insertion or Luer lip securing and thus results in air or blood leakage.
d. Simple male and female connection: as shown in FIG. 6, the tip of a catheter is positioned within a blood vessel, and a tapered male end of a three-way connector is inserted into a tapered female end of the catheter and is retained therein by friction therebetween. However, due to their poor locking mechanisms, this makes them a prime candidate for being accidental knocked off at a later time.
e. Saf-T-Clik connection: as shown in FIG. 7, a small L-shaped groove is formed on the side wall near the end of a catheter with a larger diameter. A small knob is provided on the side wall near an end of the other catheter with a smaller diameter. By inserting the end of the catheter into the end of the other catheter and inserting the knob into the groove and turning the knob until a xe2x80x9cclickxe2x80x9d sound is heard, these two catheters can be connected and locked. It takes more time to connect the catheters until a xe2x80x9cclickxe2x80x9d sound occurs. The connection is not complete if the knob is not entirely inserted into the groove.
By using any one method of the connections indicated above, disconnection between the catheters can occur easily. In the case of higher pressure ventilation or infusion pump therapy, the pressure can cause disconnection and leakage. Because of the above reasons, medical care professionals need a simple and effective means to secure the tubings, catheters or circuits.
To overcome the above drawbacks, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a releasable tube assembly wherein the secure connection and the sealing of the ends of tubes, particularly medical tubings, catheters or circuits, can be obtained.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a releasable tube assembly wherein no leakage occurs.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a releasable tube assembly wherein accidental disconnection between two tubes can be prevented.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a releasable tube assembly wherein the desired connection and/or separation of two tubes is easy.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a releasable tube assembly wherein the contamination of the tubes can be avoided.
To achieve these objectives, a releasable tube assembly in accordance with the present invention comprises: a male tube having a male tube body and a pair of opposing arms, in which the male tube body has an outer surface and a coupling end, and each of the arms includes: an attachment section, coupled to the outer surface of the male tube body; an intermediate angled section, extending upward from the attachment section; and a handle section, extending upward from said angled section, in which the intermediate angled section and the handle section are in non-contact with the outer surface of the male tube body; a female tube including: a female tube body having a connecting end which is tightly fitted with the coupling end of the male tube body; and a receiving chamber which connects to the connecting end of and communicates to the female tube body, in which the receiving chamber has an upper opening and two diametrically protruding hollow side wings to form a dimension which accommodates the intermediate angled sections of the opposing arms coupled to the male tube body, and the upper opening of the receiving chamber is provided with an inner flange for preventing the angled sections of the arms from leaving the receiving chamber.
The structure and objectives of the present invention will be more readily understood by those skilled in the art from the following description of the preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.